The 2006 Law Firm Survey regarding E-Billing Vendors, conducted in the summer of 2006 by ALM Research, amassed 630 responses. One question asked the firm respondents to select any of eight items that they would classify as a problem or concern with one or more e-billing vendors. The results are relevant to law departments.

“We are charged a fee to use the e-billing system” (65% selected this item); “It was time consuming to set up” (56%), “It’s difficult to maintain authorized timekeepers/rates” (48%), “We have to code all-time entries (UTBMS)” (48%), “The vendor required changes to the LEDES standard” (37%), “We don’t get notice of billing problems/reductions” (30%), “We had to retain a consultant/hire new staff” (10%), “We have to recover e-billing system fees indirectly from our clients” (9%).

Each of these frictions a thoughtful law department can ameliorate, or, as to the last choice – sneak the costs back to the client – clamp down on.